PrincipalAnthony I. Shin, Esq.

Prior to going to law school, I assisted my parents in running their restaurant inside the Loudoun County Courthouse. I had no intention of going to law school at that time.

Every day I interacted with individuals that knew nothing about the court system. Often times, it was very clear that the customers were terrified about just being in a courthouse.

As time passed, I soon realized that not knowing what was going to happen in the future was a common source of anxiety for many individuals. I would often get asked, “do you know if I will go to jail for this?” or “do you know if I will have to file for bankruptcy?” I felt helpless by not being able to provide a simple “yes” or “no”.

As more individuals asked questions, I became curious. I found myself going out of my way to ask local attorneys and judges questions about common issues. I knew I found a passion when I would be making breakfast meals while carrying on conversations with prosecutors and public defenders about cases and general strategies about an upcoming trial. As curiosity grew, I made a commitment to pursue law school.

From the day I chose to dedicate myself to serving the community, I realized the greatest sense of accomplishment was providing individuals peace of mind before going to bed at night, allowing a client to go home and enjoy dinner with his or her family, and/or allowing a client to forget any legal issues he or she had to deal with that day. The victories were won day by day. It dawned on me that a client will worry about tomorrow, but if he or she could control his or her anxiety for today, a step towards victory was complete.

My perspective has not changed. Lawyers cannot guarantee wins. Lawyers cannot guarantee losses. However, I believe we CAN guarantee investing a personal interest in each individual client, and CAN guarantee that we will do whatever it takes to find a legal resolution that a client is pleased with.

• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
• Virginia